Take off your shoes…they will weight you down!!!

Don’t worry about the bags…we have insurance and nothing is in there that is worth our lives!!!

Just focus on staying afloat and swim with the waves to the nearest island!!!

Sound interesting yet???

The day started as any other typical backpacking day…full of hopes and dreams and of course a free omelette from the Vietnamese homestay. After a lengthy discussion, Vanessa and I decided to avoid the overly crammed package tours and save some “dinero” by finding a more adventurous option by hiring a local boat/fishing guide to charter us to the remote “archipelago” islands South of Phu Quoc.

With full stomachs, we hop on our motorbike and cruise to the southern tip of Phu Quoc with no clear idea of how we will even begin to find a boat captain much less how we will communicate what we want…I suppose that is half the adventure and stress of independent and low-budget traveling. Sticking out like a sore thumbs and greeted with puzzling looks from the locals as two foreign faces come cruising into the boat dock, we are halted by both the security guard and gate barrier denying us access into the docks. What initially appears to be a painful discussion to explain our ambition of finding a local boat captain is immediately rewarded with the security guard (who likely didn’t understand half of what we said…but thank goodness for the power of finger pointing to maps) who calls some anonymous contact on his phone. Without much delay, the mysterious person appears from the docks and to my surprise a woman approaches us to sell us on the private boat to the islands of our desires. SUCCESS!!!

After a brief negotiation on price we are guided to the long-tail Vietnamese boat that apparently has a car engine as a motor which is attached to a long metal rod with a propeller attached on the far end. We take our seat on 2×6 wood boards as our trusty but non-communicative boat captain prepares the engine (not the woman who we negotiated the price with) and another strange woman manning the ropes at the front of the boat. Slowly navigating out of the crowded harbor dodging the incoming long-tail boats,

Captain Silent throttles the small-block engine as the small ship comes alive and cuts through the open sea. After a brief time bouncing around in the boat we approach the first island knowing full well this is not our stop but questioning why are even stopping here. It must be a mistake and surely the woman at the docks didn’t screw us over. Without much time to further consider the situation, the long-tail inches its way to the pier and the woman nimbly hops off with her groceries and makes her way down the pier before vanishing among the other boats and fishermen.  Captain Silent roars the engine once more and off to the open seas passing by floating fish farms as we skirt around this island’s shore before being greeted to the long anticipated “archipelago” of the beautiful isolated islands in the far distance.

Without warning the waves begin to sprout and swell before our eyes, our soaking bodies continuously get sprayed by the salty ocean waves that are violently pounding against the long-tail, our bodies become like rag-dolls as it is jerked back-and-forth and side-to-side. At this moment you begin to lie to yourself in order to convince yourself that this isn’t bad…everything is okay…surely Captain Silent is a tested captain among the rough seas.

SHIT!!!

Was that a wave that nearly engulfed the entire boat as it attempted to slice through the pounding ocean? I look over at my new wife with a look of confidence and warm smile…but clearly fear has taken over her and an anxious worry seizes her presence. In the middle of the ocean before reaching our first island a small metal “oil-looking” platform is erected in the sea. Our initial thoughts are that we are going to seek safety on this rig until the captain can find his courage to battle against Poseidon and his mighty sea. As the waves continue to pound the small long-tail as we approached the platform a man appears from the top and calmly walks down the platform steps. I jump to the front of the boat to toss the rope knowing that the captain was to busy managing his car-engine and trying to skillfully inch as close as possible without being crushed between the metal beams and ocean waves. First attempt in tossing the line was a fail…the second should have hit home but the man made little effortto grab the line. In fear of slipping over board, the captain circles around and makes a second attempt at approaching the platform given we totally failed the first time. I retire my efforts of throwing the pull-line and the captain attempts and succeeds after his second attempt, but not without the boat being toss harshly against the platform as waves continue to roll in. All that work and we hand the man a cart of eggs and vegetables before cutting lose the ropes and continuing through the rough seas. Thoughts are running wild in my head and it seems like we are just a paid taxi and delivery service carting around food and people who might not otherwise afford the service, so we are doing it on our dime. Thoughts quickly fade as the seas and fear of a watery death resume control of my mind.

Looking at Vanessa as I begin to strip out off my shirt and shoes and ask her to follow suit. I confess that the wet clothes will weigh us down if we are capsized. Maybe that wasn’t the best advice I could mustered up but truth be told the swim would be easier without the dead weight. Plus not to mention we couldn’t locate any life-vests within the boat. It is going to be a free for all swim and a test of endurance to clear the channel to safely make it to the island in the distance.

Without fail…we safely arrive and rewarded with three of the most beautiful tortoise water and white sand islands I have ever seen. Fear is now over come with pure excitement and peacefulness. The risk was taken and the reward was seizing the entire beach to ourselves…our private lagoon of blue water and towering palm trees. Risk versus reward….and oh the rewards are bittersweet.

With Love….SOUTHERN PHU QUO ISLANDS

-Jason R.